Sweetwater Middle School Wins 2013 GCPS Readers Rally

Sweetwater Middle School in Lawrenceville and two Lilburn schools are the top finishers in the 2013 Readers Rally.

The winners are:

• Lilburn's Berkmar High School, with Archer High School placing second
• Lawrenceville's Sweetwater Middle School, with Jones Middle School placing second
• Lilburn's with Parsons Elementary School placing second

The championship round took place March 21, and it began airing on GCPS TV this week. Judges, team members, coaches and principals filled the studio to cheer their teams on.

Lois Bean, a social studies teacher at Sweetwater Middle, said her students have been preparing for a while for the big day. Bean has taken the school to the county championship round four times.

When the students arrived back at the school on Thursday, everyone was excited for them, she said.

"The school was going crazy, and everyone was cheering in the hallways," Bean said. "The principal came out and greeted them, and he's hugging and greeting, and it was on the announcements... They're really very proud."

It was a similar scene at Head Elementary, which last year made it to the championship round as one of the final four.

We were all so ecstatic, said Shann Griffith, the team's sponsor and a physical education teacher. "When we got back to school, we went as a team to the team members classrooms, and the students were so happy and supportive."

"One of our team members noted that her class was at lunch, so we walked with the trophy through the cafeteria. It was like a wave, as the students realized we had won."

Two of the 2013 winners -- Berkmar High and Sweetwater Middle, have one the title before. That's not unusual, especially given that the top finishers have been schools in the same cluster. This year, for example, Sweetwater Middle is a feeder school for Berkmar High.

"I absolutely love books and reading, and I try to have that same feeling with the kids," she said. "We just have a great time. We really have a lot of love and respect for each other.

"I think that really, sort of, solidifies everything. We all share this love of reading, and then we all kind of just want to win for each other."

The contest attracted more than 100 school teams with students in grades 4-12. The teams first met in semifinal rounds on March 16 at Berkmar High. Ten schools, including two high schools, four middle schools and four elementary schools then moved to the final round.

Griffith said the organzation and planning of the entire competition this year was "unparalleled."

"They chose 15 amazing books that the kids fell in love with," she said. "Our
team is so thankful to them for giving us a memory we will never, ever
forget."

To view the championship round, check GCPS TV. It airs on TV at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. until March 31. It also will be available on demand on the website.